


bandages for a heart still beating

by duckiesandlemons



Series: the parts that make up the me and you [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-25
Updated: 2015-04-25
Packaged: 2018-03-25 16:29:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3817216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/duckiesandlemons/pseuds/duckiesandlemons
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Because Shun is so, so tired of losing the ones he had brought close to his heart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	bandages for a heart still beating

**Author's Note:**

> I opened up a prompt generator and it gave me "Bruises and Other Wounds" and I went "eeeeey that's my jam" and it got out of hand o o o p s. Set in future episodes of Arc V but like all you need to know is Lancers and dimension hopping and we good.

Shun wipes at the blood on his lip with his thumb, spits out red, and stares at the mess left behind after his scrape with some Obelisk Force members.  Not like they’d be any problem anymore, considering even after they tried to pick a fight after the duel he sent them running.  Reiji tells them to not pick unnecessary fights while dimension hopping, but Shun thinks this is a special case.  He just need to stop bleeding.  While long since used to the taste of blood on his tongue he’d rather not have it.

He needs to find the others, too.  They were split up after a successful dimension hop, and being alone isn’t exactly the best idea. 

Shun winces as he tries to move, the ache in his side from the broken rib he suffered from the Maiami Championship flaring up.  It didn’t heal properly.  They waited too long to get him treated (though it had been his own fault, too, deciding to stay and watch Akaba and Sakaki Yuuya’s duel) and every now and then it just hurts.  For some reason it hurts more than any other break or scar Shun’s suffered, lasting, and Shun wonders if it just serves as a reminder.

(You have something new but never forget what is old)

“Shun!” Sakaki Yuuya’s voice.  Shun sees him running up to him, climbing over the debris left behind from the duel.  “Are you okay!?  I heard noises and tried rushing over!”  Sakaki himself also looks worn, beaten, scrapes on his arms and bruises on his cheek.

“Obelisk Force,” Shun answers calmly.  “You?”

“Same,” Sakaki gives a shaky laugh.  He’s still trying to get used to the idea of fighting a _war_ and Shun tries to think of how much of Yuuto really is in Sakaki.  How much of his friend is really left?  “Hey, you know you’re bleeding, right?” and Sakaki is reaching up to wipe at Shun’s split lip.

“Doesn’t take a genius,” Shun mumbles, gently pushes Sakaki’s hand away.  He doesn’t exactly know when he became so gentle with Sakaki (and in turn Serena, Gongenzaka, the other Lancers save Akaba who he still doesn’t trust), just that at some point harsh words and the bare minimum for interaction turned to softer sentences, contentment to stay in their presence. 

Especially Sakaki.

Especially Yuuya.

Shun doesn’t even know where it came from.  Yuuya smiles, “I guess that was a pretty dumb observation…you hurt anywhere else?”

“No, you?”

“I’ll live,” Yuuya’s already moving.  “We should find the others.” 

Shun stops him.

“Hold on, you’re the one still bleeding.”

“I am?  I didn’t notice—“

Sometimes Shun wonders if Yuuya is still trying to duel to make people smile, sometimes he wonders that even in this war—this painful, bloody thing that Shun wants to wash his hands clean of—Yuuya still tries.  Forces a smile, forces a laugh, duels with everything he has just to keep people smiling, laughing, because Yuuto told him to.

To make people smile through dueling.

Shun doesn’t even tell Yuuya to hold still, just tilts his head up some and gently swipes his thumb underneath Yuuya’s nose.  A light red smear is left behind and it’s never looked so out of place.  It irritates Shun.

(He remembers the first time he had to clean blood off of Ruri, off of Yuuto, both startled and trembling and trying to put on a brave front but it’s just not happening—not with the screams, with the struggle to fight—to live)

“Uhm,” Yuuya fidgets a bit.  “Did you…get it?”

“…not quite,” Shun debates what to do next.  He tries to sort out his thoughts, tries to piece when exactly Sakaki Yuuya rose so high in his mind—when Shun finally separated Yuuya from Yuuto.  When, exactly, did Shun feel that it had been okay to open up to Yuuya much in the same way he did Yuuto?  When did he feel as if he could grasp on to Yuuya as some last shred of hope?  Some…final gambit that Shun could rely on.  Not only to get Ruri back, get Yuuto back, but also end all of this.

This war, Academia, the constant need to fight with a deck he had originally used to duel for _fun_.

“Shun,” Yuuya’s voice is soft, quiet, and Shun wonders, exactly, what it’d be like to kiss Yuuya.

(A battlefield is not the place, too exposed and open)

“Let’s find shelter,” Shun says.  “We won’t stay there for long.  Once we patch up we move to find the others.”

Yuuya nods, “Okay.”

It ends up being some abandoned building, one that has a back exit in case they need to make a break for it because Academia forces arrived.  It’s also dark enough that it’d be hard to spot them, but still give enough room to see.  Shun’s eyes adjust well enough.

“How are we exactly going to patch up?” Yuuya asks.  “Neither of us really have bandages—the supplies were with—“

He falls quiet when Shun grabs an arm.

“Tell me where it hurts,” Shun says.  “I’m going to check for bruises or possible broken bone.”  Yuuya stills.

Shun is gentle, but firm, stopping every time Yuuya winces and marking it down as a place to check out.  He doesn’t feel swelling, doesn’t feel heat, nor any out of place bone.  Bruises, possibly.  He does the same to Yuuya’s other arm, only feeling one scrape dried with blood.  That’s good then.  A broken arm would do Yuuya no good.

“Your ribs next,” Shun looks straight into Yuuya’s eyes.  “Does it hurt to move or breathe any?”

“No,” Yuuya’s answer is immediate. 

“Alright,” and he’s about to move on to check Yuuya’s legs when he’s stopped.

“I—I could walk here, nothing’s broken there I swear!” Yuuya sounds frazzled. 

“Then let’s take care of your scrapes—“

“What about you?”  Yuuya’s question throws Shun off guard.  The last time he had been asked that had been by Yuuto, back in Heartland, when Shun had just finished a check of the left over Resistance members to make sure no one had been severely injured.

“I can wait,” Shun’s answer is automatic.  “You come first.”  The same as back then.

Yuuya shakes his head, “No, you’re in a lot worse shape than I am you were clutching your side earlier—“

“I told you, it’s fine—“

“Just let me—“

Yuuya moves forward just as Shun tries to tell him it’s all okay, and their lips brush.  The briefest of contact, but something in Shun just _snaps_ and he can’t tell if he wants to bring Yuuya in closer or push him away.  Yuuya’s in the same state.

“…sorry,” Shun mumbles.  He tries to pull back, but Yuuya’s hands are gripping the lapels of his jacket.  Shun’s kept dangerously close.

“D-don’t be,” Yuuya stammers out.  “I mean…that is…you’re not done, right?  There’s…still blood…right?”  Shun slowly processes everything.  Turns Yuuya’s words around and around in his head to try and make sure he heard everything right.  He’s not used to anyone being this…forward.  Even typically blunt Yuuto, much more comfortable using actions over words, had never really worded requests like this.

Shun remembers the smear of red.

“There is,” and he leans in.  Places his hands on Yuuya’s biceps, presses his lips to Yuuya’s.  Their lips are dry, chapped, Shun can still taste blood on his, and when he pulls back he can see the faintest trace of red (dark, a bit unsettling) on Yuuya’s lips in the dim light from outside.  Shun leans in again, slides his tongue underneath Yuuya’s nose, across Yuuya’s lips, and Yuuya is shaking.

“Shun—“

“…it’s okay,” and Shun will look out for the both of them, will let Yuuya be momentarily distracted because Yuuya’s not used to this.  Not like Shun is, at least, and maybe there’s some part, some deep, guilty part of Shun, that wants this.  That wants to press kisses to Yuuya’s face, clean away the blood, the tears, the pain, to make flowering bruises wither away with a single press of his lips.  Maybe there’s some part of Shun, selfish and greedy, that wants to latch on to Yuuya and keep him close—

So close—

Because Shun is so, so tired of losing the ones he had brought close to his heart.  Yuuya represents something that Shun thought he discarded long ago, when he had first smelled burning flesh and witnessed his city crumbling around him.  Yuuya represents what Yuuto once—still—believes in, presses that belief into Shun with unsure kisses.  Desperate, afraid, but wanting, and Shun is too willing to return it.

He’s too willing to pull back, to let Yuuya’s tongue flick along his lips much like Shun’s own did earlier to him so that he can clean off the blood.  Shun is sure to steal Yuuya’s lips again, shares the metallic tang on his tongue with Yuuya, until both are breathing heavily and Shun…Shun, lost in what he wants to have, wishes to have, _still clings to_ leans back enough to lift up Yuuya’s arm and start kissing at his hand.

Knuckle by knuckle, brushing his lips over tanned skin, ears listening to their surroundings, to _Yuuya_.

“Shun, that’s,” Yuuya’s words die in his throat, hand still shaking, and Shun just drags his lips up across the top of Yuuya’s hand.  He turns it over, kisses at the scrapes on Yuuya’s palm, against the hollow of his wrist—reverent kisses up Yuuya’s arms, over bruises, and Shun hopes they disappear.  That maybe, in his uselessness (because he’s lost so much already), this is something he can do.

“Shun.”

Shun lifts Yuuya’s arm at the elbow, pushes at Yuuya until his hand is pressed to his shoulder so Shun can kiss at the underside of his arm.  Slow, easy, and Shun is aware that they should be searching for the others.  The he told Yuuya it wouldn’t be long but Yuuya is still injured, right? 

(Excuses)

“Shun.”

Shun closes his eyes, swipes at a small cut with his tongue to clean the blood there.  His own hands are occupied, one keeping Yuuya’s hand back and rubbing small circles into his skin the other still holding on to Yuuya’s bicep.  Yuuya is still, breath ragged, and Shun pulls back just a bit to breathe in deep.

His lips press against a nasty scrape, skin torn away and wound still raw, and he feels the heat.  If he concentrates enough he can feel the thrum of Yuuya’s pulse, alive and still here, and Shun’s heart _aches_ because this is attachment he didn’t need.  Attachment that’s not necessary because it’ll only lead to more loss—more disappointment.

Shun lets the flat of his tongue run along the scrape, the fresh taste of blood hitting his palate, and—

“Shun!”

Shun stills, tongue still pressed to wound, and Yuuya is squirming.  “S-Shun, I get it, just please…please?” he looks pleadingly at Shun.  Shun nods and lets go, pulls back and waits for Yuuya to calm down.

“I’m sorry,” he says once Yuuya is a bit more still.  “I…”

He doesn’t really have an excuse.  Just pent up emotions, probably, building up and festering in his body because he couldn’t afford to let them spill out.  He couldn’t afford a fresh wound on his body, deep and raw and angry, when he still has so many left open on him.

“It’s fine,” Yuuya says.  “No, it’s fine, I’m just—“

Earnest red look at tired gold.

“What about you?”

“I’ll be fine,” because Shun’s suffered worse.

“No, no you won’t,” Yuuya pulls Shun in close again.  Their noses bump against each other.  “Don’t—is it Yuuto—“

“…no,” Shun would have answered yes before.  Now, now he’s not sure.

“Then,” Yuuya closes his eyes, “I don’t know what I’m saying…just let me return the favor?”

"Yeah.”

And Yuuya’s mouth finds his again, sucking the blood off his lips and kissing the bruises on his heart away.

(It’s only temporary, it’s hard to forget—Shun doesn’t want to forget—but it’s something he holds on to)


End file.
